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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari has accepted the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's critic Sanjay Joshi. Modi had asked Gadkari to sack Joshi as the BJP National Secretary. It may be recalled here that Gadkari had earlier sacked Joshi from the party's national executive in Mumbai under Modi's pressure. The RSS has, however, so far refused to comment on Joshi's resignation. The latest development in this regard comes after posters batting for the former BJP General Secretary and hitting out at the Gujarat Chief Minister appeared in New Delhi and in Ahmedabad. The BJP leadership had then played down the incident, and denied that there was any rift in the party. Sanjay Joshi was a long-time member of the Gujarat BJP and was a member of the BJP national executive until he was forced to resign after a public pressure from Modi. A mechanical engineer by training, Joshi was a lecturer in an engineering college, but he resigned to become a full-time volunteer in the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Maharashtra . Noting his organizational acumen, he was asked to join BJP in Gujarat in 1988, where the party was politically weak. He is known for his good rapport with grass root level workers. Joshi became a leading figure in BJP politics in Gujarat . From 1988 to 1995, he worked closely with Narendra Modi as a secretary of Gujarat BJP. After a revolt by Shankersinh Vaghela, Modi was shunted out, and BJP won in the subsequent elections in 1998. Joshi became the general secretary of BJP in Gujarat . In 1998, when Modi wished to return to Gujarat , Joshi had opposed the move. However, in 2001, the Modi faction overturned the leadership of Keshubhai Patel and Modi became the chief minister. In 2005, Joshi was highlighted in a controversial sex CD, which led to his being removed from all posts in the BJP. However, later it was found that the CD had been doctored. Nonetheless, Joshi was not reinstated for six years, primarily due to opposition from the Gujarat faction. However, in 2011, Gadkari re-appointed Joshi the coordinator for BJP in the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly election, 2012, and appointed him to the national executive.

Modi critic Sanjay Joshi quits BJP